SOCIAL INFLUENCE AND POWER

Abstract

Social influence is defined here as change in a person's cognition, attitude, or behavior, which has its origin in another person or group. The investigators are interested in such phenomena as: The policeman influences the motorist to move his car; the teacher influences the student to use a specified method in solving a mathematical problem; the mother influences her child to avoid playing in the street; the flying saucer fancier influences his friend to 'see' a flying saucer in a fuzzy cloud formation. Others have considered these situations in terms of 'imitation,' 'suggestion,' 'persuasion,' or 'contagion.' The word 'power' is used to mean potential influence--or, conversely, influence is kinetic power. This paper develops further an approach to the analysis of social influence and power which was first presented in a joint paper with J. R. P. French, Jr. (French and Raven, 1959). A number of studies, many of which grew out of other theoretical orientations, are presented to illustrate the usefulness of the present conceptualization. (Author)

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